Ocean City, Palm Beach…Iowa?

SJU students contribute to Midwest disaster relief

Thursday, July 10, 2008

What: Fifteen students and a staff advisor from Saint Joseph's University will take time out of their summer vacations to work with a volunteer organization to clear out the damage from last month's disastrous Midwest floods.

When: Team meeting Thursday evening, July 10, 8:30 p.m. at SJU's Wolfington Hall
Students depart campus Friday morning, July 11 at 5:30 a.m and return the evening of Tuesday, July 15.

Where: Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Who: The students will clear debris and ready the flood-ravaged areas of Cedar Rapids for rebuilding. Selected from a pool of more than 30 applicants, they will work with Hands On Disaster Response, a volunteer organization based out of Carlisle, Mass. While volunteering, the students will stay with other Hands On volunteers in a church between Cedar Rapids and the nearby town of Palo.

"When you consider SJU's mission of cultivating men and women with and for others, helping in the relief was a no-brainer," said SJU senior Hollyanne Pronko, president of the University Student Senate and a trip organizer. "I believe that the opportunity presented itself for a reason, and we were called to help. The dire need for volunteers and the scope of the disaster made this trip an immediate necessity."

Participants will meet at the University's Wolfington Hall Thursday evening at 8:30 p.m. and depart for the airport at 5:30 a.m., early Friday morning. To ensure the students would not be burdened with the cost of travel, organizers enlisted the help of University President Timothy R. Lannon, S.J., and Vice President for Student Life Cary Anderson, both former Iowa residents. Offices across campus donated time, money, and supplies to make sure the students were adequately prepared for a safe and effective volunteer trip.